Now that we know what are the books we need for GMAT Preparations, lets get going with an optimal study schedule for the GMAT

Recommended Study Plan - 2 to 3 hours on weekdays and 8 to 10 hours on weekends/holidays. Reserve 1 week prior to your appointment date for full fledged preparations for taking the exam.

Week1
Start with the GMAT Quantitative Section. Spend some time in reviing the properties of numbers, squares upto 40, cubes upto 20, formulae for factorization, work, speed, time, rate etc.

Solve 50 problems each from Problem Solving and Data Sufficiency. Check the explanations for the answers for each and every question regardless of whether you got it right or wrong. It is very much possible that you got lucky with a guess on a particular question. Maintain an Error Log for the problems you got wrong. The Error Log could be on a notepad or on an Excel Sheet with the following format
Question Number---Your Choice---Correct Choice---Right/Wrong.

It is extremely important to know why you got a particular question wrong. You should visit the Error Log after about 8 to 10 days and then after a month. If you get the answer right in the subsequent attempt, strike it out from the error log, otherwise keep it. The entire set of questions must be attempted again after a month to see where you stand with respect to your preparations.

Also do about 30 questions of Sentence Correction and 30 questions of Critical Reasoning in Week1. Repeat the Error Log exercise.

Towards the end of Week1, revise the formulae for quadratic equations, simultaneous equations, arithmetic progressions, geometric progressions, permutations and combinations, probability. Finish off all the problems in the OG Quantitative book. (Don't forget to update your error log)

Week2 (Full focus on OG Verbal)
Finish off all the problems in OG Verbal Book in Sentence Correction, Reading Comprehension and Critical Reasoning. Update the Error Log accordingly

Week3 and 4 (Full focus on OG Comprehensive)
Finish off all the problems in OG Comprehensive across all the 5 sections. Update the Error Log accordingly.
Revisit the Error Log of Week1 and Week2

End of Week4 - Time for the 1st Mock Test. Take 1 test from the 2 tests you have from www.mba.com or the power prep from the old ETS CDs.

Important Note for Mock Tests
Never ever make the mistake of skipping the essays while taking the full length tests. It is extremely important to practise for that and build your stamina for 4 hours of test taking. Carefully review all the options you got right, you got wrong and areas for improvement.

Week5 - Time to Shift Gears one notch up
Pick up the Kaplan Comprehensive/Premier Book
The book has 50 questions on each sub-section. Knock off all the problems from this book. Towards the end of Week5, revisit the Error Log of Week3 and Week4

Week6 - Problems from Kaplan Premier/ComprehensiveCD
The CD has quite a few sectional tests on the CD timed and scored. Finish off all the questions from this CD by end of Week6
Revisit the Error Log of Week5
Time for another Full Length Test - Take a Free online test from www.kaptest.com (Don't forget to do FULL Test with essays)

Take stock of where you stand with regards to your preparations. What are the question types that are pulling you down. What is the pattern of errors you are getting
(Many mistakes in the first 15 questions in any section are bound to take your scores down. Consecutive errors will again pull your score down. What questions are impacting your speed. Do a reality check on all these points)

Week7 - Half way through the Preparation. Shift gears one notch higher
Time to pick up Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT Edition. Finish off all the problems from all the bins in Week7
Revisit the error log for Week 5
End of Week7 - Take a Free Full Length Test from www.princetonreview.com (Don't forget to do FULL Test with essays)

Week8 - Stakes are Higher - It turns out that Verbal Section is pulling your scores down
Time to review all Verbal Concepts and finish off all problems from Princeton Review Verbal Workout.
Towards the end of Week8, revisit the Error Log for all problems from Week1 to Week7.
You should be able to stike out at least 75% of all the problems in your Error Log

Week8 - Stakes are Higher - It turns out that Verbal Section is pulling your scores down
Time to review all Verbal Concepts and finish off all problems from Princeton Review Verbal Workout.
Towards the end of Week8, revisit the Error Log for all problems from Week1 to Week7.
You should be able to stike out at least 75% of all the problems in your Error Log
End of Week8 - Take your first Full Length test from Princeton Review (You get 4 tests online with the original version of the book)

Week9 - the Countdown for G-Day Has Begun
Time to knock off problems from Kaplan 800
The book has about 80 questions on CR, 120 questions on SC and a good variety of problems on Data Sufficiency.
The error log may seem a little big when you first attempt the questions. Don't get bogged down. Keep moving

Towards the end of Week9 Take a Full Length Test from the Kaplan CD. Don't get bogged down by the scores. These tests are designed to be low scoring. Just make sure you understand the logic behind the questions that you got wrong. Go through the concepts well.

Week10 - 3 Weeks to Go - Adrenaline Levels are increasing
Last book to manage and that is Ace The GMAT. This book will not take you long to finish actually.
Also revisit all the Error Logs from Week5 to Week9 during the course of this week.
Take a Full Length Test from Princeton Review Cracking the GMAT

Week11 - 2 Weeks to Go - Don't Panic. Time to alternate between relaxation and preparations
Revise all the concepts, visit all the error logs from all the books/CDs you have covered so far.
Take stock of things - see whats keeping you hot and whats not.
Shift as many items from whats not to whats hot.
2 Full Length Tests to be taken now. 1 from the Kaplan CD and 1 from Veritas Prep (Its Free Online)

Week12 Final Lap Before G-Day - Top Gear Preparations
1 Full Length Test everyday. Now you have 2 tests from Kaplan CD, 2 tests from Princeton Review, 1 Free Test from Manhattan Guide, 1 from www.mba.com
Devote time for reviews separately and 4 hours non-stop for tests. Last day before the exam, take time out to relax. With this rigourous preparation of over 200 hours and strategic studies, you are on your way to crack the GMAT.

Best Regards....Raj
www.gmatwings.in
Email: info@gmatwings.in